The Goddess Bell
Chapter 3
Quick Guide
Detailed Walkthrough
Travel to Bafsk
To get to Bafsk, head back to Poft via Paloom. You can walk to Bafsk from Poft, which is located to the east, then south. Or, if you’re lazy like me, you can fly Bafsk via Airship by talking to Cid’s companion. The cost of the Airship flight is 100 Gil.
The captains in Bafsk are different than the Imperial captains we encountered in Fynn; Instead of attacking the party, these captains just want to complain about the management of the Dreadnought project. You can speak freely to all NPCs in the city, including Borghen, who will appear several times throughout this chapter.
The armor and weapon selection in Bafsk is nearly identical to that found in Salamand. If you purchased Mythril weapons in Altair, you won’t find anything useful here. (There is a Silver Cuirass available in the armor shop, which is an upgrade to the Bronze Armor, but we’ll have a better opportunity for armor soon). The magic shop has both Esuna (which cures status ailments the persist outside of battle, like blind) and Basuna (which cures status ailments that last for only a single battle, like poison). I’m not a big fan of offensive status magic in early Final Fantasy games, so I usually skip both Fear and Silence, but they’re available if your preferences differ from mine.
Explore Bafsk Cave
When you are done shopping and chatting up the locals, ask the captain in the southwest corner of the city about the Dreadnought and he will let you pass. Go down the stairs behind the captain to enter Bafsk Cave. The cave is a short, 2-floor dungeon, and there is little to note concerning its design. There are two characters you must talk to in Basfk Cave 1F, the Dark Knight (who looks familiar…) and Borghen. After a short cutscene, re-enter Basfk Cave and collect the pass in the eastern room on floor 1F. In the same room as the pass, you can find a teleporter that will return you to the entrance of Bafsk. Finish up any business you might have in Bafsk and return to Poft.
Return to Altair via Poft, speaking with Cid along the way
Inside Poft, you will learn that the DREADNOUGHT is attacking nearby villages. Go speak with Cid in the Pub and ask him about his AIRSHIP. Learn about SUNFIRE and return to Altair. Minwu will leave your party after you talk with Hilda, so this is your last opportunity to level him up for the Soul of Rebirth content. Be sure to equip him with the best available weapons and armor.
Altair has been devastated by the DREADNOUGHT, but the rebel hideout still stands. Enter and speak with Hilda in the throne room. Minwu will now leave the party, making some excuse about needing to heal the sick. Ask Hilda about SUNFIRE to learn that it is kept in Kashuan Keep, your next destination.
Find Minwu and the King in the southeast room of the rebel hideout. If you ask the King about SUNFIRE, he will tell you about the GODDESS BELL. Ask the King about the GODDESS BELL and you will learn that it is the item that grants access to Kashuan Keep. If you ask Hilda about the GODDESS BELL, she will tell you that it can be found in the mountains to the north. Time to return to our good buddy Josef.
The armor shop in Altair now sells Mythril Armor, so be sure to pick some up if you feel so inclined. Return to Salamand via Poft.
Ask Josef about the GODDESS BELL and he will tell you that it can be found in a nearby cave, but that the only means of getting there is via snowcraft. Conveniently, Josef has access to a snowcraft. There is a catch, though, and that is Josef has the snowcraft hidden and has to join your party to find it.
Much like Minwu, Josef will only remain in your party for a limited time. He does play a part in the Soul of Rebirth content, so you are interested, you’ll need to level him up a bit. If you did a good job leveling Minwu, you can slack off a bit on Josef. Don’t forget to give him some equipment!
Return to Semitt Falls and walk past the blue stone near the entrance. Head to the top right corner of the cave and interact with the wall. Josef will reveal a secret path that leads to a treasure chest. Inside you will find the snowcraft. I guess with rising gas prices, we are stuck using the economy model. Exit Semitt Falls and head north until you reach a snow field.
You will need to hop on the snowcraft and head west across the ice. Much like the Ship in Final Fantasy I, if you hold B and press A 20 times you will be able to play a match game for prizes. Also like Final Fantasy I, the prizes are nothing special. If you look and your decoder ring, you will see that there is only one location worthy of a blinking dot in the middle of the tundra, and it is our destination.
The first three floors of the Snow Cavern are rather mundane. There is little treasure, and the path is straightforward. There is a chest containing a Mythril Mace on floor B3 that is guarded by Grenades, and a chest on floor B5 that has an Ancient Sword which has a chance to cast Curse in battle. Also on floor B5 is a room full of Beavers. Talking to the Beaver in the northern end of the room reveals that Gus can speak their language, which is surprising since he can barely speak English. Asking the Beaver about the GODDESS BELL will reveal a secret passage that leads deeper into the cave.
Floor B6 is home to a Silver Cuirass and the Adamantoise, the boss of this little dungeon. The Adamantoise has a ridiculously high defensive stat, and as such, is nearly invulnerable to Spear attacks. Readjust you equipment accordingly, then jump into the fray.